Spine Universe Author Biography

Timothy R. Kuklo, MD, JD, a specialist in cervical spine and spinal deformity. His clinical interests include cervical spine, pediatric and adult spinal deformity, spinal tumors and spine trauma. His research interests include spine biomechanics, bone graft substitutes (including fracture healing and spine fusion surgery), particularly recombinant human bone morphogenic proteins, spinal deformity, management of spine trauma, and radiographic process measures and digitization.

A graduate of the United State Military Academy at West Point, Dr. Kuklo earned his medical degree from the University of Connecticut followed by a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. He completed a transitional internship and a residency in orthopaedic surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., followed by a fellowship in pediatric and adult spine surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. He then returned to Walter Reed as a staff member in orthopaedic/spine surgery and as residency director of orthopaedic surgery, where he attained the rank of Colonel, U.S. Army Medical Corps (now retired). He is currently an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Neurologic Surgery.

Spinal Case Studies From Timothy R. Kuklo, MD, JD

• Significant Back and Leg Pain in a 70-Year-old Female
  A 70-year-old female presents with significant back and leg pain. Overall, her sagittal imbalance is fair and she is unable to maintain posture.
• Lumbar Herniation with Radiculopathy
  Presenting with a 10-week history of left leg and back pain, this 42-year-old male described his pain as posterior left thigh, calf, and ankle.
• Increasing Back and Leg Pain, Quadricep Weakness
  This older patient presented with a 4-year history of increasing back and severe leg pain with bilateral quacricep weakness.
• 16-Year-old with Grade 3 Spondylolisthesis
  This case study details treatment of a 16-year-old female with a grade 3 spondylolisthesis.

SpineUniverse articles from Timothy R. Kuklo, MD, JD

• A Multicenter Clinical and Radiographic Analysis of Anterior and Posterior Surgical Techniques for Treatment of Thoracolumbar/Lumbar AIS: The Current State of the Art
  An abstract from the 2003 SRS Annual Meeting on the clinical data and the radiographic results after ASF or PSF techniques for treatment of thoracolumbar/lumbar AIS.
• Accuracy and Efficacy of Thoracic Pedicle Screws in Curves Over 90 Degrees
  An abstract from the 2002 SRS Annual Meeting looking at the efficacy of pedicle screw only constructs to achieve sagittal and coronal correction for thoracic scoliosis and assess the accuracy of thoracic pedicle screw placement.
• Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) Radiographic Measurement Manual
  A poster from the 2002 SRS Annual Meeting designed identify an objective set of radiographic parametersthat clearly describe the salient features of AIS.
• Analysis of Iliac Crest Bone Graft Process Measures
  A poster from the 2002 SRS Annual Meeting looking at the posterior ICBG harvesting using process measures to establish a normative bone harvesting database for future comparative studies.
• Bone Graft Donor Site Pain
  An exhibit from the 2002 SRS Annual Meeting looking at bone graft donor site pain.
• Can rhBMP-2 Overcome the Inhibitory Effect of Alendronate Sodium on Spinal Fusion?
  This study determined if rhBMP-2 can overcome the inhibitory effets of alendrontate sodium on spinal fusion.
• Corrective Capacity of Monaxial versus Multiaxial Thoracic Pedicle Screws in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
  An abstract from the SRS 2004 Annual Meeting evaluating monaxial and multiaxial screws for treatment of AIS.
• Herniated Disc Treatment Options
  For a herniated disc, you have several treatment options to relieve pain. Read what to try before surgery, including why physical therapy may be the most helpful in the long run. A surgeon also explains a typical surgery for herniated discs.
• How Do Herniated Discs Cause Leg Pain?
  Why does your leg hurt if you have a herniated disc in your back? A top spine surgeon explains how pain can travel down your leg, a symptom commonly called sciatica but also know as radiculopathy.
• Neural Complications of Surgery for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
  A report about a prospective cohort study of 1000 patients who underwent spinal fusion and instrumentation to treat adolescent idiopathic scoliosis
• Preoperative and Postoperative CT Evaluation of Structures at Risk with ASF
  An abstract from the 2002 SRS Annual Meeting that attempts to define the relative position of the TA, and other vital structures in deformity patients, to the spine as well as to the projected instrumentation by level and curve magnitude.
• Probing for Thoracic Pedicle Screw Tract Violation(s): Is it Valid?
  An abstract from the 2002 SRS Annual Meeting evaluating the inter- and intra-observer validity, accuracy, and agreement of detecting thoracic pedicle screw tract violation(s) among surgeons at various levels of training.
• Reliability of Radiographic Parameters for Scoliosis Evaluation
  An abstract from the 2002 SRS Annual Meeting determining the reliability of new objective radiographic scoring systems used in the evaluation of spinal deformity.
• Sagittal Trajectory Variation to Salvage Failed Thoracic Pedicle Screws: A Biomechanical Analysis
  An abstract from the 2002 SRS Annual Meeting designed to nvestigate the ability to safely place a thoracic pedicle screw with adequate maximal insertional torque using the anatomic trajectory.
• Spine Acts its Age with Spondylosis
  Spondylosis or spinal arthritis, is a side effect of aging that many people don't know about.
• Surgical Revision Rate of Hooks vs. Hybrid vs. Screws vs. ASF/PSF for AIS
  Abstract from the Scoliosis Research Society's 2006 Annual meeting about thoracic pedicle screw constructs.
• The Effect of Tapping Versus Undertapping Before Placement of Thoracic Pedicle Screws: A Biomechanical Analysis
  An abstract from the 2002 SRS Annual Meeting investigating the effect of various tapping techniques prior to insertion of thoracic pedicle screws in terms of maximal insertional torque or screw pullout.
• Thoracoscopic Spine Surgery: Current Indications and Techniques
  The first report of thoracoscopic surgery was in 1910, after Jacobaeus used thoracoscopy to lyse tuberculous lung adhesions.
• Validation of Triggered EMGs by CT Scan for Thoracic Pedicle Screw Placement
  An exhibit from the 2002 SRS Annual Meeting designed to validate the trEMG thresholds in the thoracic spine.